For Professionals

By providing a broad range of home health services, we make your job easier. VNA Community Healthcare connects your patients, quickly and reliably, with the right home care specialist.  We take pride in being an integral part of the fabric of the communities we serve.   Our skilled staff includes:

• Medical Surgical Nursing Care
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Psychiatric Nursing Care
• Maternal Child Health
• Private Duty Nursing
• Social Work 
• Home Health Aides

Medical Surgical Nursing Care

As a referring doctor or discharge planner, you can rely on VNA Community Healthcare nurses to provide support to your patients and their families during a healthcare challenge. Following surgery or illness, our goal is to provide care and treatment for patients in the comfort and security of their own homes.

After an initial assessment and after consulting with the physician, we build a “plan of care” to meet the needs of the patient. It includes regular visits from a licensed, registered nurse to monitor the patient’s condition and adherence to treatment. Often, a plan of care may include other services such as physical, occupational or speech therapy. We may also suggest a Home Health Aide to help with activities such as bathing, dressing, walking, cooking, eating and housekeeping.

As we care for and monitor your patient, we keep you updated on his or her condition and treatment plan, so that our VNA Community Healthcare staff becomes a vital link between you and your patient.

Physical Therapy

VNA Community Healthcare's physical therapists work with patients, and their caregivers, to be as active and independent as possible. We teach patients how to use devices that will assist with mobility, how to control pain, and how to perform exercises that will improve strength, balance and coordination.

With your referral, a physical therapist will assess the patient, consult with the physician and create a treatment plan with goals for recovery. We also conduct home safety evaluations to help create an atmosphere that will promote increased mobility and confidence.

Therapy includes exercise, education, and support skills for caregivers. We teach therapeutic exercises to improve the patient's range of motion and increase strength, coordination, balance, and endurance. Our physical therapists train patients and their caregivers to use assisting devices, including canes, walkers, crutches, as well as transfer techniques and bed mobility. When patients are in pain, we recommend modifying activity to control pain.

Doctors or discharge planners may refer patients of all ages and medical conditions. We treat patients who have had elective joint replacement surgery, and we are available before surgery for consultation and advice on setting up the home during the recovery process. Other clients include elderly patients recovering from falls, those who have recently had a stroke or other medical event, and patients with arthritis or Parkinson’s disease.

Occupational Therapy

 VNA Community Healthcare’s Occupational Therapists work with patients to make everyday living and routine household tasks easier to complete. Therapy includes exercise, education and treating pain, and may also involve physical or speech therapy as needed. Patients learn exercises to improve range of motion, how to use assistive devices to help with personal and household activities, and ways to modify activities to limit discomfort and pain.

With your referral, one of our Occupational Therapists will visit the patient to assess his or her physical needs and conduct a home safety evaluation. From the home visit, the therapist creates a treatment plan with goals for recovery. As the referring doctor, you will review, modify and approve the “plan of care”. And, as that care progresses, you will be updated on the patient’s condition and how the treatment plan is working.

Speech Therapy

Our experienced speech therapists manage speech, language and swallowing disorders. Through therapy, we help improve speech, language and non-verbal communication, and swallowing techniques. We also work with caregivers to learn how to promote therapy at home.

Doctors or discharge planners may refer patients of all ages, including newborns and children with swallowing or eating difficulties. Our patients also include those with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, neurological conditions, Parkinson's disease, neck cancer, stroke, or those with communication issues due to surgery.

When a patient is referred to VNA Community Healthcare for speech therapy, a qualified therapist makes an initial assessment of the patient’s situation and consults with the physician to develop a “plan of care”. This “plan of care” may include work with the speech therapist, as well as with nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists.

Psychiatric Nursing Care

 Special skill is required to provide psychiatric nursing services in a patient's home, and our psychiatric nurses have it. Most of our nurses are certified psychiatric nurses with additional specialized training. We provide patients with support and structure, ensuring medication compliance and promoting stability necessary for independent living.

With your referral, we begin with an initial assessment in the home and work with the physician to create a customized “plan of care” for the patient. Our extensive background in working with this population allows us to overcome resistance and build rapport. Through ongoing relationships, we teach coping and adaptive skills for both the patient and family members. By administering medication regularly, our nurses help patients with chronic mental illnesses live independently.

Our experienced nurses are a critical link between you and your patients. When we detect that medications have become less effective, we work with you to develop new treatment plans. We also recommend therapy programs to overcome addictions, including gambling and alcoholism, and can assist in the management of co-morbidities such as diabetes and obesity.

Maternal Child Health

 As a referring doctor or discharge planner, you partner with our Maternal Child Health Nurses, who offer assistance, education and guidance to patients, while providing regular updates to you in the process.

Our Maternal Child Health Nurses have experience working in hospital maternity wards and nurseries, and many are certified lactation consultants. During pregnancy, our nurses provide support for expectant parents, including prenatal education and in-home monitoring of high-risk pregnancies. When the baby arrives, we visit infants at home, helping new moms feel more confident when bathing, breastfeeding, and caring for their babies. For mothers recovering from a C-section, we make sure wounds are healing properly. We weigh, measure and monitor newborns, and answer parents’ questions about what to expect. We also work with mothers who have delivered twins or triplets, premature babies, or those with risk factors for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

VNA Community Healthcare also provides Pediatric Nursing. Our Pediatric Nurses visit the homes of children with a range of chronic and acute illnesses, from cancer to broken bones to head lice. We deliver injections following chemotherapy and make regular visits to follow up on the children's health.

Social Work

As a referring doctor or discharge planner, you can find support for your patients though VNA Community Healthcare’s Social Work services.

Our social workers counsel individuals and families experiencing stress from an illness or disability. Using their extensive background in counseling, family dynamics, gerontology, healthcare, and the healthcare system, our social workers listen and offer constructive support and resources in the community. We help families and individuals develop effective coping strategies, learn how to manage stress, and gain access to financial assistance and other local support programs.

Social workers can also assist with transfers to alternate levels of care when necessary. We work closely with your office to ensure quality, coordinated care for patients and family members. Together, we create a support system of community services to foster independence.

Private Duty Nursing

Parents are caring for a child with complex medical needs are maong the most challenging home care situations. VNA Community Healthcare works with physicians to help their patients’ families get the support and assistance they need. Our Private Duty nurses work so intimately with parents and caregivers, they often seem like members of the family.

With your referral, we find a good match between our nurses, the child and the family. Together, they discuss reasonable goals based on your recommendations.

Our private duty nurses care for infants and children with complex medical needs, and are adept at communicating with patients. Often, private duty nursing is accompanied by pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy, and our nurses communicate with therapists to improve strength, endurance, mobility and developmental skills for the child. In addition, they work with family members, in the safety and comfort of their own home, on safe medication administration, tube feedings, and other necessary support services.

Home Health Aides

When patients are recovering from surgery or an illness, they often need assistance with routine tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking, eating, walking, getting in and out of bed, doing the laundry, and shopping for food.

Once we receive a referral, a visiting nurse may set up a plan of assistance for the patient from a trained Home Health Aide that includes activities and the number of weekly visits. This plan may involve personal care, as well as help with household chores, grocery shopping and meal preparation. Home Health Aide services can continue only as long as the patient receives skilled care from a nurse or therapist.